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Development of Multidimensional Sustainability Index for Women Self-Help Group Members in Rural Tamil Nadu

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Divya Shanmuga Sundaram — PG Scholar
Rajasekaran Ramakrishnan — Assistant Professor
Muhammed Iqshanullah Abdul Kadar — Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Baburayanpettai, Chengalpattu-603201, Tamil Nadu, India
Sathaiah Manimuthu — Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Baburayanpettai, Chengalpattu-603201, Tamil Nadu, India
Published 28 Sep 2026 Vol. 62 No. 4 (2026), pp. 250-255 ● Open access
❝ How to cite 🔗 https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.624RT04
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Abstract

The significant role of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in improving rural livelihoods and women’s socio-economic status, limited empirical evidence exists on their multidimensional sustainability. A Multidimensional Sustainability Index (MSI) was constructed by utilizing PCA for examining the sustainability of women SHG members of Kancheepuram district in Tamil Nadu for 2025-2026. A multi-stage random sampling method was employed to collect the data from 320 women SHG members. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value (0.806) and the significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (= 3933.704, df= 780, p<0.001) indicated that the data was suitable for PCA analysis. Seven components contributed 53.04 percent of total variance. The average score of MSI was 0.5103 which suggested moderate sustainability. The weights contributing to the MSI was maximum in Financial Inclusion and Economic Sustainability (0.239) followed by Social Empowerment (0.148) and Managerial and Capacity Development (0.142). The study concluded that the proposed MSI provided a reliable framework for assessing the sustainability of women SHGs. 

 

KeywordsSelf-Help GroupsSustainabilityRural womenPrincipal component analysisMultidimensional sustainability

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